CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL GUIDE

May 27

natahshapriya:

Lee Marie: Children 18:3
Cornerstone 2011

Submission: Now is all there is

from the blog:

http://memoirouswrite.blogspot.com/2012/05/now-is-all-there-is.html

Now is all there is.

We never once thought it would change.

There would always be dusty roads and distances to cover

And egg water and mildewed hay bales and volleyballs hitting us in the head.

There would always be long lines, too many people, and heat

That descended like a sweat fog covering the land like a pestilence,

Or like a brick of congealed gummi bears left out too long.

Every year there was summer and there was Cornerstone,

We lived all year planning, scheduling, debating,

Coming up with a theme,

making T-shirts, producing press kits, ordering doughnuts,

And yet we were never ready.

Never prepared with enough golf pencils at registration, never enough volunteers, never enough

This and that and so we made Wally-runs. Back and forth, there and back.

And always we added on, just one more thing to the list

Or stopped for a DeeQue, or brought back coffee or a water gun

Because there was always so much cash floating around; we could never run out.

The lines at the front gate stretched for miles,

Down Murphy’s black top all the way to route 9.

The state police had to come in and direct traffic.

We had to have three entrances to handle all the cars,

We banned driving on the grounds because of all the people.

One year 22,000 came.

The queues at the shower were so long, people bathed in the lake.

James’ only job was stocking the portojohns which were emptied around the clock.

It was faster to walk than take a golf cart. We thought it would always be like this.

Children got sick, threw up, wet their sleeping bags.

Storms came and swamped the fields and almost brought down Main Stage.

One year the exhibition tent was rent in two and everyone pitched in to pick up.

We came to expect the unexpected.

That one life-changing show

Where the Holy Spirit fell and the band played

On and on and on and no one went home and

The sun came up and all that was left was the story

Of how awesome it had been.

Bride trashed the hall—where are those guys now?

Are they still Christians? Are they still singing?

Or have they entered politics, a divide almost as wide as secular and saved.

Remember when Steve Taylor jumped off the stage at Grayslake

And broke his leg and Mark Heard played his last concert

And then called for an ambulance.

Remember when Kerry Livgren sang “Dust in the Wind” and a breeze

Rippled the Cornerstone banner above him.

We thought it’d always be this way.

That no matter what: we could fix it, collect our collective energies,

Throw the massive weight of a Jesus People nation at obstacles.

Remember when we all had long hair, before we went New Wave,

Before we grayed, before we had no hair.

Our Jesus People boys would work an entire festival

And then hold a softball tournament afterwards,

Playing against each other.

Today we barely have enough players or interest to fill a team roster.
We never thought it would end.

Even as others came and went,

We always thought we’d be here,

And that it would go on and on and on.

But people gave up sleeping on the ground,

They no longer can walk those long distances.

The heat kills them, really.

We no longer stage dive at the show, or body surf;

We can’t dance. Or forgot how.

Our kids (the reason we first came) grew up.

They can’t make it back because of work, student loans.

Or they stopped listening to Christian music.

What is Christian music?

What is a Christian band?

Hardly anyone makes that distinction anymore.

Why should they?

So despite the deaths (they have another festival to attend),

The divorces, the disappointments,

The foreclosures, the lack of jobs, the job changes,

Retirement. Because there is a Rock that

Rolls, because a rolling stone gathers no moss

(except Ami Moss will be there with the Unfortunate),

But most of all

Because one last time—

It is about now.

Now is all we have.

—this is dedicated to: you know who you are, but to name a few

Jeff, C. the Kirks, the Wrights, Dan Michaels

Go to http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/

- Jane Hertenstein

May 26

Merch Tent - Cornerstone Festival 2007 (photo by thoughtquotient.com)

[video]

May 25

2012 Lineup Changes

Cornerstone Festival just released an email announcement regarding the final Cornerstone and the lineup changes that are being made.

You may have noticed some changes in our lineup lately. Due to budget constraints every band performing this year is now doing so for free. We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the bands who have made this commitment! Here is a list of bands who have confirmed SO FAR. There are more to come! We are humbled and honored to share our last festival with you.

Aimee Wilson & The Factorye
Aradhna
Ashley Cleveland
Behold the Kingdom
Children 18:3
Crashdog
Crush The Enemy
Da Mac
Dead Horse
Destroy Nate Allen
Don’t Wake Aislin
FBS
Fight To Die
Flatfoot 56
Glenn Kaiser Band
Glenn Kaiser Blues Jam w/ Larry Howard
Good Luck Varsity
Grave Robber
Icon for Hire
Ilia
Insomniac Folklore
Iona
Jeff Elbel & Ping
Josh Garrels
Joy Williams
Leper
Listener
Max Simmons
Mike Mains & The Branches
Milano
Nathan Stiteler
Neal Morse
Norma Jean
Paul Brendon Lile
Photoside Cafe
Quiet Science
Rise Into Ruin
The 77s Unplugged
The Blamed
The Choir
The Crossing
The Echoing Green
The Burial
The King’s Kids
The Letter Black
The Lost Colors
The Satire
The Skies Revolt
The Unfortunate
The Violet Burning
The Waiting
The Wayside
Timbre
triple stitch
White Collar Sideshow
Write This Down

Bands that are new to the lineup include Crashdog, Larry Howard, Good Luck Varsity, The Echoing Green, and The Waiting.

If you don’t see your favorite band on the list, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they for sure aren’t playing, it could be that they just haven’t gotten back with the Cornerstone staff yet. I’ll certainly be praying that more bands find the means to join us for no pay. Thank you to all the bands who have already agreed to play Cornerstone for free this year!!

The Cornerstone staff also added:

We’ve been overwhelmed by the response to our May 15th announcement regarding 2012 being our final event. Thank you so much for all the kind words!

As a side note: If you’re interested, there is an unofficial group on Facebook called “Cornerstone Memories” where people are sharing stories.

[Donate to Cornerstone]
[Buy Cornerstone 2012 Tickets]

May 24

THROWBACK THURSDAY!

Acceptance - Cornerstone Festival 2000
(photo by msmail)

(via cornerstoneguide)

[video]

‏@cstn: Tomorrow we announce all of the bands who have agreed to play at the final Cornerstone. Stay Tuned…

[from @cstn]

May 23

Psalters - Cornerstone Festival 2008 (photo by Tim Lundmark)

(via cornerstoneguide)

“The “DONATE NOW” campaign which has adorned all of our literature for 10 months has garnered about 10% of the goal we needed by last New Year’s to secure the fest’s future. We took that as a sign.” [x]

Let’s show another sign. DONATE TODAY.

May 22

runningischeaperthantherapy:

211.365. by brighten. on Flickr.

Cornerstone Festival 2010 (from a flickr secrets project)

(via cornerstoneguide)

May 21

a personal note.

Repeated Necessary Disclaimer: I do not work for Cornerstone or JPUSA. This is not an official Cornerstone blog. I run this on my own, voluntarily, without connection to the festival staff.

I want to take a moment to thank you all for your submissions last week. It was a comfort and an honor to read and share such heartfelt words about what Cornerstone has meant to you (if you missed them, you can read them here)

To be completely honest, my heart was a little heavy as I posted the Countdown graphic today. Where there used to be pure excitement at the nearing of going home is now an added sense of dread as ‘the end’ looms closer.

I hope I get to meet/see you all this summer. We’ll be having a Tumblr meetup at the fest - I’m just waiting for a more definitive schedule so we can pick a day and time that doesn’t conflict with any major events.

And if you’d like to donate money to help make this Cornerstone better, their donation page is right here (I don’t suppose any of you have an extra $200,000 laying around do you?).

Cornerstone Countdown
(photo by Kim Russel)

xLooking Forwardx at Cornerstone Festival 2009
(photo by Jean-Marc Giboux Photography)

(via cornerstoneguide)

May 20

shevanishedlikeadream:

these awesome guys helped push my car out of the mud at cornerstone 2010. natahsha and i had just arrived and we hadn’t even gotten past the old encore area when my car got stuck. i didn’t have to ask anyone for help, they just heard my tires spinning and came over. that’s why i love cornerstone.